


Indirect Questing

by Feathraly



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Adventure, Fluff and Humor, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-05
Updated: 2020-01-05
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:34:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22124179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Feathraly/pseuds/Feathraly
Summary: There's a prophecy, because there always is.---"So, where are we going, anyway?""Well, we're going straight to the heart of everything. First, though, we need to pick some people up along the way. Let's go."
Relationships: Keith/Shiro (Voltron)
Kudos: 15
Collections: Ace Pilot Exchange 2019





	Indirect Questing

**Author's Note:**

  * For [thatsjustHoneyDewbabe](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatsjustHoneyDewbabe/gifts).



> I had a lot of fun writing this! thank you for the prompt and ty to [Essa](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SimplyEssa/pseuds/SimplyEssa) for the beta. I hope y'all enjoy! <3

There's a bright glow on the horizon, and it may just look like any ordinary sunrise, but it spells trouble to the trained eye.

Pidge sighs and turns away from the window, rubbing her forehead in barely contained worry.  
She knows she's the only one to heed such a warning, and she's also aware that the only way to stop it will be to involve more people. She'll have to gather a team, quickly, and she'll need them to be able to work civilly with one another.

She has her work cut out for her in order to prevent a murder that would be catastrophic, hunt down an old friend no one has seen in years, and do it all in a week.

Oh, not to mention she'll have to travel to the capital along the way. In that case, at least she knows where to start.

\---

Hunk wakes up to the sound of pounding on his door. 

When he swings the door open about a minute later, Pidge has a hand poised to continue knocking, but she quickly readjusts both her hand and her expression. 

"Good, you're awake," she says, sweeping into his house without a welcome. He mutters a "make yourself at home," and closes the door for her. 

Pidge is standing in the center of his main room, her eyes alight with...something. "Okay, we don't have much time, and I'm going to need your skills. Are you in?"

Hunk squints. "What am I agreeing to, exactly?"

She huffs impatiently and flaps her hand. "There's a prophecy, because there's always a prophecy. They couldn't let it rest for more than a year, no, that would be too easy for us. Anyway, there's a prophecy, and it spells certain danger for the country if we don't do something, and I need your help. Also, if you know anyone who works well with others and has literally any skill, that would be good too."

"Okay, that's a lot to take in at barely daybreak, but okay. I'm sure I can convince Lance to come with us -- he's always looking for adventure. And since it's a prophecy...I can probably hold off on my other projects until we're done."

Pidge nods. "Perfect, because I definitely need your knowledge of terrain and potions."

He nods back at her, and they begin to formulate a plan of approach.

\---

Lance and Pidge meet just as they're setting off, and Lance looks delighted. "Oh, I've heard of you! You're so in tune with the nature around you that you can understand the messages it's sending. That's so cool and it's awesome to meet you!"

Pidge looks pleased by the compliments; her smug expression is easy to catch any day, and she shakes Lance's hand while saying, "Flattery will get you everywhere."

Hunk is just glad that they're getting along. "So, where are we going, anyway?"

"Well," Pidge drawls, looking in the direction of the rising sun, but more importantly, the castle of the kingdom. "We're going straight to the heart of everything. First, though, we need to pick some people up along the way. Let's go."

She flashes a conniving smile to her two traveling companions, and then they're off. 

About an hour into their journey, Lance breaks. "Alright, I can't take it anymore. Who are we looking for?"

Pidge laughs. "We're looking for two people; one is a current guard of the city, and the other is a former guard. They used to be married, but, well, I'm sure you can guess how that went awry."

Lance's eyes light up. "Let me guess, the former one defected?" 

Pidge slants him a look. "Sort of. He left to fulfill some sort of personal quest, and because of that, they grew apart. I'm acquainted with both of them, and I think they'll be amenable to working together."

"Oh, they are soooo still in love. That's what that means!" Lance crows with delight.

Pidge scoffs and rolls her eyes. "I doubt it. It's been years."

"Do you wanna bet?"

Pidge stops and turns to him. "Fifty?"

He shakes her hand with a grin. "Deal."

Hunk sighs.

\---

They're idly hiking along a mountain trail, skirting along the edge and occasionally pausing to take in the scenery.

There are tall pines trees surrounding them and a soft before-sunset glow filters in through the leaves, gently dappling the path they walk on.

It's quiet except for the crunch of boots on dirt until Lance looks up and his eyes widen. He makes a noise of incomprehension, calling attention to the other two, and points at something off in the distance.

The first time they run into someone, it isn’t the two guards like they expected.

It's a white wolf, staring right back at them instead of startling like a wolf normally would. It seems to be alone, too, which makes Pidge think perhaps it's not a normal wolf they're dealing with. 

She carefully holds out a hand and says, "Don't worry, I work magic. I would never harm a kindred spirit such as yourself."

The creature's fur twitches, the first sign of movement, and then all of a sudden a woman unfolds from the wolf like an unfurling plant. It's impossible to pinpoint the exact moment she starts or finishes the transformation, and besides, she's striding towards their little group before they have a moment to process what happened.

Her hair matches the wolf's fur -- white, no surprise there -- and she nods respectfully towards Pidge. "Thank you for the kind words. I believe I've heard of you, down in the valley. What brings you here, to my lands?" With that, she pointedly looks at Lance and Hunk, her gaze glittering with suspicion.

Hunk takes a careful step back, looking nervous, but Lance just looks delighted and like he wants to say something. However, he doesn't say it fast enough because Pidge replies before he can.

"We're looking to go to the capital, and this is the easiest path through the woods. I wasn't aware there were any Alteans in the area, but it's very nice to meet you, regardless."

The woman dips her head in what is reminiscent of an animal gesture. "And you as well. You'd be surprised how many of us there are, everywhere, but we like to stay concealed. I was merely curious about what you were doing, and I still am, actually. But first, I suppose we should do introductions. I'm Allura," She holds out her hand for a firm shake, which all of them take, murmuring their own names in response.

Pidge clears her throat. "Well, we're going to the capital to stop a death that, if it were to happen, would cause the fall of the empire."

Allura hums thoughtfully, her blue eyes looking them over. "And you only have the three of you?"

Pidge nods. "And we've kept you long enough. We should be on our way."

Allura falls into step with them instead of walking away, flashing a smile in Lance's direction. He looks like he's about to swoon.

"Well, I can't have that. Your mission sounds important, and I'd love to accompany you."

Pidge shakes her head. "It's not necessary at all, though I certainly wouldn't turn down the help," She grins sharply, dropping the pleasantries.

Allura laughs, and then they're off again.

\---

Pidge is thinking that maybe she should admit to Hunk that she doesn't know where she's going anymore when he speaks first.

"Hey, um, Pidge…do you know where we are?" He looks nervous, and taps his fingers together anxiously.

Pidge grimaces. "...no," she admits.

Now, Allura and Lance are starting to pay attention to their surroundings instead of their conversation. They're in a forest with softly glowing plants and occasional rustling noises.

Pidge stops. "Actually, I think we're right where we're supposed to be. Probably. Hopefully," she adjusts her glasses like it will help.

"Not quite," says another voice, one they don't know, and before they can respond in any way, they're submerged into darkness.

\---

They wake up to find themselves on the outskirts of the forest, someone wearing full body armour and a hood standing next to them. 

Pidge squints at the person, and carefully asks, "Keith?" She sounds like she's not sure, but the person laughs and pulls down his hood to reveal that he is, in fact, Keith.

Pidge tackles him in a hug. "It's been so long! I'm so happy to see you! How are you? Did you find what you were looking for? Also, sidenote, do you want to help me with something real quick?"

Keith laughs awkwardly. "That's a lot of questions. I found what I was looking for, yes, and I suppose it depends on what kind of favour you're asking."

Pidge explains the plan as he leads them fully out of the forest, all of the others following in a daze.

Once she's done, Lance cuts in before Keith can respond. "So, what the heck even was that back there? Like, are we just not going to talk about it?"

Keith immediately looks sheepish. "Ah, well, about that...it was my family. They're a little overprotective of their lands but I saw Pidge and convinced them to let me lead her back to the main path so I could talk to her."

"So, you found them?" Pidge cuts in, her eyes glittering with excitement.

Keith nods. "Yeah, I did. It all worked out in the end. So, obviously you're not here for my...other skills. What do you want me for? My limited knowledge of the castle layout? They've likely changed things since I was there."

"Well..that's why we're going to go find Shiro, too. You wouldn't...happen to know where we could find him? I haven't kept as close in touch with his whereabouts because he moves around so much."

Keith looks away, and Pidge mentally high fives herself because she _so_ has this bet in the bag. "I do," he rasps, but he doesn't look happy about it.

Pidge puts a hand on his shoulder and turns to the others. "Let's go, then."

\---

Meeting Shiro would be lackluster except for the moment when him and Keith make eye contact.

Keith and Allura pause their conversation because Keith just freezes and stares at him until Shiro takes a careful step forward, his hand outstretched for a handshake. "Keith, it's good to see you," he says, voice soft and careful.

Keith makes an incomprehensible noise and pulls Shiro into a hug that makes Lance wince, it looks so tight. They break apart slowly a few seconds longer than a friendly hug, and Shiro looks less formal, but still awkward. They both do, actually, so Pidge cuts in and says to Shiro, "Hey, okay, so can you leave your station here? No one will miss you?"

When he nods, she lays out the plan to him and he adds all the tweaks that will be needed before he wanders off in search of Keith.

Lance pretends he's not watching their every move for the purposes of the bet.

\---

Keith watches Shiro walking over, picking idly at the dagger at his hip but not quite looking at it. 

"Hey," Shiro starts, stopping abruptly in front of Keith. "I wanted to...clear the air between us, if you will, because this mission is so much more important than any grudges we might have against each other. I'm sorry for any hurt my hand in all of this may have caused, and I hope you've been well."

"Shiro, you have to know that I don't want an apology now and I never did before. I left on my own terms, and it was the best idea for us at the time to split ways. Maybe that was a bit odd and had too much finality for us, but I don't regret leaving, and I'm sure you don't regret letting me. I'd do it again if I had the choice."

"Yeah?" Shiro asks, his voice suddenly sounding broken and his eyes sparkling suspiciously.

"Yes," Keith replies, but he takes Shiro's hands in his and catches his gaze. "Shiro, I found out who I am. I could never go back to a life not knowing that and not knowing who my family is, but that doesn't mean I wanted to leave you."

Shiro's breath catches in his throat, and Keith pulls him into a hug. Shiro looks surprised at first but he melts into it almost instantly.

\---

After that, they're on a straight course to the city, and they're all becoming fond of each other.

Keith and Allura occasionally look at each other, smile like they're sharing a secret, and then with a spark of light, they're suddenly wolves and chasing each other across the fields, clearly taking delight in the game.

Lance and Hunk play card games at night by the glow of the fire until everyone but the guard for the night retires.

Lance gifts Allura with every small trinket he finds along the way, and she blushes lightly whenever he presents them to her.

Pidge climbs trees and shows Lance how to follow her. With Hunk's help from the ground, they map the route they want to take and mark landmarks along the way.

By the time they reach the outskirts of the city and the castle is in their sights, the sun is setting, bleeding red light all around them.

They are weary, but they've made it in time. The prophecy dictates that the murder will happen during the next day, and they've no time to waste.

\---

After waiting for the sun to set and trying to remain inconspicuous during that time, they use the moonless night to their advantage and creep into the castle through secret entrances that Shiro shows them. 

He finds Thace's -- the man who's going to be murdered -- quarters, and then he steps back. "That's the most I can do for you. I'm not sure what your plan is after this."

Pidge grins. "No worries," she says, and turns to Allura, except...Allura isn't a human anymore, but a mouse. Naturally, she doesn't say anything, but she does squeeze herself under the door they were all standing awkwardly in front of.

Lance coughs and Keith glares at him and then the door is swinging open and Allura is standing in front of them, smiling like the cat that got the cream.

Pidge presses a finger to her lips before quietly creeping inside. They're in what looks to be a common room now, so all they have to do is figure out how whoever’s trying to kill Thace plans to do it.

Unfortunately, prophecies only like to be specific about certain details, not all of them, so they have no idea how or when it will happen.

There's the sound of rustling in another room, and Keith's eyes flash with suspicion. He peels away from the rest of the group and silently makes his way over to the noise. When he gets there, his eyes widen in surprise. 

\---

Keith creeps back to the group and materializes behind Shiro, a hand on his shoulder. To his credit, Shiro doesn't even flinch despite not being able to see well in the gloom.

In a low tone, Keith informs them, "they have some sort of device in the other room. I don't know what it is, but…"

Lance's eyes flick over to Keith, and for once he looks serious. "Show me? I might be able to figure it out."

They return a few moments later, and Lance looks mostly serious but also a little smug. "A bomb," he confirms quietly. "I dismantled it, but who did it?"

Pidge grimaces because she doesn't know. Hunk and Allura look thoughtful, but Shiro's expression is stormy.

"I think I know who we're dealing with," he says, grimly.

\---

Shiro leads them to a secluded part of the castle where the guards spend the night. 

Keith's eyes flash with suspicion, but aside from tossing Shiro an indecipherable look, he doesn't say anything. 

Once they get there, the others find hiding places while Shiro goes in.

He does not come back.

Keith starts fidgeting after about ten minutes, and once it's been twice that, he starts rushing forward.

Pidge tries to catch his arm and stop him, but he turns and his jaw is clenched and his eyes are glittering -- he's fighting back tears. "I need to make sure he's okay."

She nods sharply, and the four of them follow Keith past the door after Lance picks the lock.

They're immediately met with a scene they weren't expecting. Shiro is standing, facing them as well as a group of royal guards. He no longer has his sword, and has a deep shoulder wound that's dripping blood all over the floor.

Keith makes a broken noise in his throat that alerts their enemies to their presence, but they couldn't care less by this point.

He stares for one second more before snarling and unsheathing his dagger, cutting his way to Shiro ruthlessly.

Pidge gapes openly for the second before someone pushes her behind them, and she almost protests because she _can_ fight, but then she remembers that these people are trained guards, and she can't do magic in such a small enclosed space.

Hunk is standing next to her while Lance brandishes a sword he picked up...somewhere. He probably asked Keith or Shiro for help with the technique, but by the way he's using it, he already had a basis of knowledge.

Allura has a short baton and is deftly knocking people out with it, and before Pidge knows it, they're all alone in the room.

"Is...is that it?" She asks, wary.

Keith is too distracted by Shiro and whispering things like, "Not like this, please...can't do this to me...."

Allura looks determined and grim. "I'm afraid not, Pidge. It seems we have a larger issue at hand. We thought that there was merely a simple murder plot -- orchestrated by one person, perhaps for revenge, or some political reason -- but that's not the case. I believe the plan to kill Thace was just the start of an even larger plan, and unfortunately these people here are just a small fraction of that initiative."

Keith looks up then. "Pidge, you can work healing magic, right?"

She nods. "We can talk about this later. Let's get outside and get Shiro healed first."

\---

Pidge ends up having to reconnect nerve endings, and since she's never done that before, she calls to the power of the earth to help her. It gives Shiro a taste of her connections to nature in turn.

She can tell it's working by the look on his face when he wakes up and flexes his fingers. It's an expression of awe, and she remembers seeing it on her brother's face when he first felt the connection to magic.

"Wow. This is...wow. Wait, is everyone alright?" He immediately tries to look around and check, but Keith tightens his grip on Shiro's shoulders.

"Don't worry. You're fine. You're safe now," he says, voice raspy. Everyone pointedly ignores that and the fact that Shiro lays his hand on Keith's with the most gentle expression on his face.

Eventually, Keith turns to Allura and acknowledges her with a nod. "Pidge, I think the prophecy you saw was just an initial instruction. Because, well...I haven't been entirely honest with you. Part of the reason I felt so pressured to leave my position as a guard here was because when my abilities revealed themselves, no one took kindly to it." He averts his gaze from everyone, and Shiro squeezes his hand reassuringly.

Allura picks it up from there. "The king, and therefore his closest confidants, I suppose, do not trust people who can bend their shape -- even people like Keith who only have one form that's relatively harmless. There's a story about how they drove us to secrecy with their hatred, but I think it's exaggerated for the kids and it was a lot less direct than that."

She clears her throat and glances at Keith. He looks much more composed than before, and he turns to the others with a questioning face.

Pidge confirms with a nod that she's following so far, and so do Lance and Hunk.

"When Lance and I dismantled that bomb in Thace's quarters, I realized he was a part of that inner circle, but...I also snooped around a little, and...I think he's one of us, as well, and on our side."

Pidge puts a hand to her mouth. "So that's why they wanted him dead! It makes so much more sense. And with him not saying anything, they could do whatever they wanted?"

Keith frowns. "I'm not sure what it is they're planning, and why now, but I know it's not good, and it has something to do with us." He turns to Allura. "You, specifically."

Lance looks confused. "Why her specifically? Aren't you more connected to all this?"

Allura sighs and leans against a tree. "I haven't been entirely honest with you all either. Keith has known from the start, I suspect -- his family don't miss much." She flashes him a knowing look and he folds his arms in response, so she continues. "A long time ago, both the current ruler's relatives and my own used the throne as a sort of middle ground, and they worked together to make decisions for everyone. I am of the original line of royalty, technically."

She looks defeated as soon as she finishes speaking, and Pidge feels a pang of sympathy for the situation she's in.

She didn't ask for any of this, and now she's going to have to reclaim her birthright in order to stop a corrupt ruler. 

And the rest of them are going to have to come up with a plan to help.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading <3 come chat with me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/featherstorm77) if you like!


End file.
